Lake Margaret Depth Map & Fishing Spots (FL)

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Lake depth chart

Lake Margaret, FL

Max 11 ft

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Where to start

Fall shad migration window is on — see the hatch outlook

Hatch outlook

Fall shad migrationActive window

Typical here: Sep 1 – Dec 15 · upper ends and stained creeks turn on first, the main lake follows; Deep-South creeks hold bait into December

adultall day, best mid-afternoon as the sun warms the bait — the rare pattern where you can sleep in — follow the bait, not the structure: gulls, herons and egrets diving or stacked in a creek mean the shad (and the bass) are there — run and gun until you find flickering bait or surface activity

Concentrates hard but unevenly — whole stretches go empty while one creek loads up. The birds are the map.

Creek-arm run-and-gun: lipless crankbait and squarebill through the flats and ditches, walking topwater over surface schools, a 3/8 oz spinnerbait around isolated cover along the creek channel. Downsize to match the young-of-year shad; jerkbaits are the sleeper.

The event happens over backs of creek arms, pockets and ditches, secondary points on the way in, and main-lake flats where the bait balls roam

Willow fly (summer mayfly)Active window

Typical here: Apr 1 – Oct 31 · recurring broods all summer — the heart of it is June–July, famously around July 4th on the Tennessee River lakes; any one hatch lasts days to ~3 weeks

dunhatches at dusk — clouds of bugs just before dark, continuing into the night — after hatching they fly to shoreline foliage — trees near lighted docks get covered; the feeding zone is the water under bug-loaded overhanging bushes and willows
spinnerthe following days: mating, egg drop and spent flies falling from the overhangs — the bream bite under the bushes runs as long as the bugs do

A two-level event: bream stack under the bug trees, and the big bass stack under the bream. Fish the same bushes twice — small for bream, big for the bass just outside them.

Crickets or small poppers under a float tight to the bug-covered bushes for bream; beetle spins and hair jigs just under the surface; for the bass, run a bluegill-pattern topwater or squarebill down the outside edge of the overhangs.

The event happens over under and just outside overhanging willows and bushes on steep banks; trees near lighted docks after dark

Next on this water

Spring crawfish emergence · forageFeb 15 – May 15 · in ~6 months

Shad spawn · baitfishMar 15 – Jun 15 · in ~6 months

Bluegill spawn (bream-bed bass) · forageMay 1 – Jul 31 · in ~8 months

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are generated from real agency depth surveys; use the survey badge for the provider, dataset, datum and measured coverage. Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Lake Margaret

Shared by DepthScout anglers. Exact spots stay private, always.

No shared catches here yet — be the first.Log a catch from the map above and share it to put Lake Margaret on the board.

Fishing Lake Margaret: what the data says

347-acre lake. A small Putnam County lake with shoreline cover and steady bass and panfish. Standard Florida warmwater roster; species not individually verified. The lake tops out around 11 ft. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled. What the data behind the map says about each species, season by season:

Lake Margaret maps at 352 acres behind 3.2 miles of shoreline — one island included. Nearly circular (index 1.2), so the story is the bottom, not the bank. There is no deep basin to speak of — the entire surface is under ~15 ft, prime weed water end to end. The basin spans about 1.1 mi end to end and 0.8 mi across at its widest. Putnam County claims this one. Lake Estella sits 1 mi south — the closest neighbouring chart.

Largemouth Bass fishing at Lake Margaret

Early season largemouth bass use the shallows, holding in 2 to 10 ft. Expect a summer slide to 3 to 11 ft, then a winter hold in 3 to 11 ft. Put Grass flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. In summer the feeding windows fall in early morning and the evening. Tie on a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait and you're in the game.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	3 to 11 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	3 to 11 ft	midday & dawn	Grass flat (3 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	3 to 11 ft	midday	Deepest hole (11 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Crappie fishing at Lake Margaret

Spring crappie on Lake Margaret hold shallow, usually 2 to 8 ft. By summer they slide out to 3 to 11 ft, and by winter most fish are in 3 to 11 ft. The chart's best answer is Deepest hole — deep basin, 11 ft, prime for winter. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled).

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 8 ft	midday & dawn	Grass flat (3 ft)	1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub
Summer	3 to 11 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled)
Fall	3 to 11 ft	dawn	Grass flat (3 ft)	Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2")
Winter	3 to 11 ft	midday	Deepest hole (11 ft)	Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon

Bluegill fishing at Lake Margaret

Spring bluegill on Lake Margaret hold shallow, usually 1 to 6 ft. They move out to 3 to 11 ft in summer and finish the year down in 3 to 11 ft. Put Grass flat first on the milk run — a weed flat near 3 ft that grades prime for spring. The feeding windows run early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a small sponge spider (fly) or a micro tube jig.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	1 to 6 ft	midday & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	1/32 oz jig + micro plastic, Tiny popper (evenings)
Summer	3 to 11 ft	dawn & dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)	Small sponge spider (fly), Micro tube jig
Fall	3 to 11 ft	midday	Grass flat (3 ft)	Micro jig + waxworm, Small spoon tipped
Winter	3 to 11 ft	midday	Deepest hole (11 ft)	Tiny spoon

Channel Catfish fishing at Lake Margaret

Early season channel catfish use the shallows, holding in 3 to 11 ft. Even in summer they hold at 3 to 11 ft; winter keeps them in 3 to 11 ft. Put Deepest hole first on the milk run — a deep basin near 11 ft that grades prime for winter. In summer the feeding windows fall in after dark and the evening.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at
Spring	3 to 11 ft	dusk	Grass flat (3 ft)
Summer	3 to 11 ft	night & dusk	Deepest hole (11 ft)
Fall	3 to 11 ft	dusk	Deepest hole (11 ft)
Winter	3 to 11 ft	midday	Deepest hole (11 ft)

Notable structure

Lake Margaret carries 5 mapped structure features, topping out (or rather bottoming out) at Deepest hole, about 11 ft down.

Deepest hole: deep basin, around 11 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 3 ft
Hump: gravel shoal, around 2 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 2 ft
Grass flat: weed flat, around 2 ft

Lake Margaret fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for Florida waters are set by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission — and special regulations can apply to Lake Margaret specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official Florida fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Lake Margaret?

Lake Margaret is about 11 ft (3 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart comes from published agency bathymetric survey data, so the contours are survey-derived rather than computer-modeled.

What fish are in Lake Margaret?

Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish on Lake Margaret.

Where is the best fishing spot on Lake Margaret?

Grass flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 3 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.

When is the best time to fish Lake Margaret?

For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Lake Margaret?

Fishing on Lake Margaret is regulated by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Check the official Florida regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Lake Estella 1 mi · Lake Howell 1 mi · Lake Stella 5 mi · Crescent Lake 7 mi · Lower Lake Louise 10 mi · Lake George 10 mi · Lake Kerr 12 mi · Rodman Reservoir 16 mi · Lake Eaton 20 mi · Lake Dexter 25 mi · Cowpen Lake 26 mi · Lake Dias 26 mi

See how Lake Margaret stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in Florida · best crappie lakes in Florida · best bluegill lakes in Florida · best channel catfish lakes in Florida

More water nearby: Putnam County fishing maps (7 charts). Browse all Florida fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry: published agency survey data. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.